Checking your pet service

Articles by LocalPetPeople

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Dog Day Care - Dog Sitting Services - House Sitting - Boarding Kennels

How to check your dog sitter or dog day care (dog creche)

Once you've established contact with your dog sitter and you feel happy that they offer a service you would like to use, set up a meeting with them and their dogs. You should meet them in the location that they will care for your dog, so that you can see what kind of environment your dog will be kept in. Make sure that you meet the dog sitters own dogs to ensure that your dog will get on with them. Preferable also meet any other boarding dogs or day care dogs that will be boarding at the same time as your dog. If this meeting goes smoothly, book your dog in for an initial trial day and night. I would expect most dog sitters to ask for this by default, so that they know your dog will fit in with their lifestyle, especially if you are aming to make a booking of a week or longer. If the trial boarding goes smoothly then you can book your full holiday and hopefully all future holidays with your new dog sitter!

How to check your dog walker or house sitter

Once you've established contact with your dog walker or house sitter and you feel happy that they offer a service you would like to use, set up a meeting with them and their dogs. You should meet them either in your home or out on a walk in the area where they will walk your dog. If the dog walker will bring other dogs on the walks with your dog, ask him/her to bring them along to this meeting, so that you can see that your dog will get on with them all. Trust your instinct and read your dogs body language to find out if this dog walker/house sitter will be suitable for you. If you like the person but your dog is a bit shy, ask the dog walker/house sitter to come and take a few walks with your and your dog, before the start of the official dog walking/house sitting period begins, so that your dog has time to get to know his new dog walker/house sitter. Most dog walkers will offer to come and walk with you a couple of times for free, to help build that important relationship with your dog. If you are looking for a house sitter, set up a meeting at the house at least once, so that you can see that your dog will be happy to let this stranger into his territory.

Who should use kennels

Personally I don't think anyone should put their pet in kennels, UNLESS your pets regular home routine is to live in a kennel in the back garden. For pets who are used to be left in a kennel over night, it would be cruel to leave them in a home environment when you go on holiday, as they would have to go back to kennels once you returned.

However, if your pet has been raised from pup in a nice, warm home environment, why would you send him/her behind bars when you go on a nice, relaxing holiday? Give yourself peace of mind, secure in the knowledge that your beloved friend, the family pet, is enjoying his holiday as much as you are, if not more! Why should we punish our dogs and cats by putting them in that stressed, noisy, unloving environment, that kennels are? There are so many people offering home based pet services now days, there shouldn't really be any need for kennels.

Why use Dog Day Care (dog creche) or a dog walker

Wouldn't you rather leave your dog in a dog day care (dog creche) before you shoot off to work for the day and pick up a happy, tired dog in the evening, than coming home to chewed up furniture, a hyperactive and stressed dog? Alternatively get a dog walker to take your dog out for long fun filled walks while you are slaving away in the office. Your dog will hopefully get what he needs to be happy and harmonious and you'll be able to sit back and relax after a long, hard day, instead of taking a long, exhausting walk with the dog.